St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-05-27

one OF the lnOSU celeDraleu DOdlS OI llle
early days. His line was known as the
La Crosse and Minnesota Steam Packet
company. The business and profits
grew, and in a few years he extended
the line to Dubuque, and organized the
Northwestern Union Packet company,
with dozen boats, carrying both
freight and passengers. This brought
the line into sharp competition with the
old Galena Packet company and North
ern Line Packet company, and
about the year 1869, re
suited in the consolidation of all the
various lines into what was known as
the Keokuk, st. Louis & st. Paul Packet
company, with Commodore Davidson at
the head. At that time he controlled
practically all the traffic of the river, ,and
his interests became so large that i'll the
spring of 1870 he was obliged to remove
his headquarters to ST. Louis. 1t was
during the years '64, '65 and '66 that
Commodore Davidson, with remarkable
foresight, recognizing the future of st.
Paul. invested few thous-
and dollars and acquired title
to many of the best business
heart of the city. With the building of
the railroads into the West, the river
traffic degenerated, and Commodore
Davidson came back to st. Paul the next
year. He showed his great faith in the
prosperity of the \ity by commencing
his first Improvement here in 1876, dur
| ing the hard times succeeding the panic.
| That year the Davidson block, on the
| corner of Fourth and jackson, was
built by him as a wholesale house, and
| occupied by Auerbach, Finch Il Culbert-
son until burned in 1880, when it
was rebuilt for an Office building. He
| erected another business block on the
| corner of Sixth and Jackson in 1879, and
! in 1888, in company with Col. j. III. Da-
| wilson, erected the Union block, corner
of Fourth and Cedar. He then built the
GRAND OPERA HOUSE
and Court block, on Wabasha and
Fourth, and, tearing away the old
opera house, built what is called the
opera house. Commodore Davidson
was the main stakeholder in
the old Music Hall association,
house in st. Paul. He has
bought and sold a great deal of property
in st. Paul, and has died the owner of a
list of real estate valued as high as
s3,0O0,000. A great deal of this is in
central business property, and some in
rented residence properties. 1t is said
that the commodore'S annual rent rolls
1
still president of the St. Louis & St.
Paul Packet company, owning the City
of st. Paul, War Eagle and several other
boats plying on the Mississippi.
The commodore, although one Of the
most widely known men of the West,
never held public Or political Office of
any kind in his life. He always declin-
ed political honors on the plea that he
was too busy. He was public spirited
man, and an inveterate worker in the
interests of the city and in directing
his own business, having had part in
almost every important commercial pro-
ject since he first settled in the city.
among other things he was one of the
directors of the chamber of C Ommerce,
and was interested in the ST. Paul Fire 81
! Marine Insurance Co., and st. Paul Ma
tiOnal bank. He was one of the original
promoters of the old ST. Paul & Sioux
City railroad, and still had considerable
interest in corporations growing out of
that road. His habits of life were sim
pie. He diSliked oStentatiOn, and
DRESSED AND LIVED PLAINLY.
Although he provided a private car
riage for his family he seldom rode in it,
and his familiar form could be seen
almost any day walking to and from his
office, or standing in the corridor of the
Grand opera house. His time was all
occupied with business and he took none
for pleasure. 1t is a strange fact, as
serted by his most intimate acquaint-
ances, that he never visited the East,
and never in his life went farther than
his old home in Ohio, which he visited
shortly after settling in st. Paul, to
marry the wife who still survives him,
then Miss Johnson, daughter of Ben
jamin johnson, living near the commo-
dOre'S birthplace. He never in all his
life took vacation from his labors.
Three weeks ago he had planned, at the
urgent request of his friends and family,
to go to the Yellowstone Park for fort
nights rest, but this project he gave up
because he thought the air would be toe
rarifed in that region and affect his
already difficult breathing. Then he
thought of making trip to St. Louis
on one of his boats, but finally con,
cluded, as he told Col. Davidson, that il
would do him just as much good to alb
sent himself from the Office few hours
each day for time. 1t was this con-
slant application to business, without
relaxation, which brought about his
sudden illness and death. He was 6
generous contributor to all worthy Ell
terpriseS, and in early life was mem
Der of Baptist church in Ohio. In St
Paul he was regular attendant of the
Central Presbyterian church, of which
Mrs. Davidson and son are members.
Friends and relatives from distance
have been telegraphed the sad news
but no definite preparations for the
funeral have yet been made. 1t is prob
able that the funeral services will bt
held from the residence Of the family
on Sunday afternoon.
-za-